The Decorated Body and World Cultures

About this site

About this site | Pupil Quiz | Curriculum Links

This website has been developed by Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery for teachers and pupils at Key Stage 3. The aims of the website are to look at the following questions:

1. What different types of body decoration are there?
   
2. Why do people decorate their bodies?
   
3. How are the cultures similar or different to the one we live in?
   
4. How does body decoration relate to identity?

How to use this site

This website is split into five themes of Piercing, Tattooing, Painting, Shaping and Scarring. Each section contains information, images of people and objects from the collection and an interactive element for pupils. In addition, within this area there are a number of discussion points which can be used in class (see below) and there is also a pupil quiz.

Discussion Topics

Listed below are a variety of discussion ideas which can be used in class. Pupils can also post their comments about body decoration in the 'Your Say' area of the Bemused website.

• Are there any similarities between cultures which you had not considered before?
  
• What are the reasons people have for decorating their bodies?
• Is it worth suffering to look beautiful? Can you think of examples?
• Body building and cosmetic surgery are ways to shape the body. What are these processes trying to achieve?
• Piercing is more common in women than men in Western societies. Why do you think this is?

Further Reading

For more information about the topics featured in this website there is a suggested reading list below:

• Brain, R. (1979) The Decorated Body, Hutchinson & Co.
• Camphausen, R.C. (1997) Return of the Tribal: Celebration of Body Adornment, Piercing, Tattooing, Scarification, Body Painting, Inner Traditions Bear and Company
• Groning, K. & Anton F. (2001) Decorated Skin: A World Survey of Body Art, Thames & Hudson
• Reynolds, H. (2004) A Fashionable History Of: Make-up and Body Decoration, Heinemann Library
• Robley, H.G. (2004) Maori Tattooing, Dover Publications Inc.
• Shilling, C. (1993) The Body & Social Theory, Sage
• Silvester, H. (2009) Natural Fashion: Tribal Decoration from Africa, Thames & Hudson
• Van Dineter, M.H. (2007) Tribal Tattoo Designs from the Pacific, HvD Publishing
  

There are also a variety of books available from Birmingham Central Library.